A group of Ukrainian orphans are due to arrive in the safety of the UK after fleeing the war in their home nation.
The 50 young travellers, aged between two and 19, and their carers will fly from Poland to London before making their way up to Scotland later in the week.
On Thursday, Home Secretary Priti Patel has made an announcement that the youngsters, who are being cared by the Scottish charity Dnipro Kids, which was set up by supporters of Edinburgh’s Hibernian Football Club, had been given the green light to travel to Britain.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the charity, Steven Carr, who has led the effort to evacuate the youngsters from Lviv in Ukraine, said they were “just thankful and relieved that we are getting the kids to the safety of the UK, and to Scotland, at last.”
He said that, “We have known these children and their carers for many years, and when they said they wanted to get out, we were determined to help.”
“The assistance we have had from the other charities & organisations has been very significant to us, and we wanted to place our thanks to them on the record.”
“It is also essential to us to place our thanks on record to the UK Government and the Ukraine and Poland government for their help, understanding, and assistance.”
He also praised the “unstinting work” of SNP Westminister leader Ian Blackford, who raised the plight of the orphans in the Commons. Carr said the MP had “helped push things over the line & helped to get things done.”
The youngsters will use Tuesday sightseeing in London, before heading to Scotland on Wednesday, where they will enjoy a welcome meal at Hibernian’s Easter Road stadium before heading to “the peace and quiet of rural Stirlingshire.”
Carr said, “We hope we can let them get on with life at that stage.” He also thanked the Scottish Government, local councils and other organisations who had “stepped up” to help the group.
